BA teachers to consider 'improved' wage offer

Secretary General of the Suteba education union Roberto Baradel (C) speaks to the press as teachers hold banners reading "decent salaries" amid heightening tensions with the government of Daniel Scioli.

Education unions have said the Daniel Scioli administration has “improved” the wage offer, taking now the initial salary to 5,000 pesos. Still, the conflict in the province of Buenos Aires has not yet been completely settled since the wage proposal will be submitted to teachers who will then express their final say on whether to accept or reject the offer. Furthermore, head of the Udocba union Marcelo Díaz warned workers will continue to strike “indefinitely.”

“It is an improved offer that comes closer to what we demanded,” Secretary General of the Suteba union Roberto Baradel told reporters following an emergency meeting that took place this morning in the City of La Plata with provincial authorities.

The initial salary, head of the Feb education union Mirta Petrocini explained, will be of 4,500 pesos in March and of 5,000 starting in August this year.

Baradel and Petrocini agred the new salary scheme shows the Buenos Aires province government "has considered" their demands. Still, they both warned it will be each assembly of workers to analyze the wage proposal to either accept it or reject it.

In the meantime, leader of the Udocba education union Marcelo Díaz fiercely questioned the offer, saying teachers will continue to strike “indefinitely."

Díaz told reporters the increase accounts “only for 2400 pesos” that workers will be able to cash in August, proving challenges still loom on the horizon to settle a salary conlifct that has left 3.5 million students without classes over the past 17 days in Argentina's most populated province.